Tag: Custom

Last summer I saw this insane VW Rabbit Pickup concoction rocking an extended cab, air bags, and monochrome dark green interior to match the exterior. It still has the 1.5-liter diesel lump to pull all that extra weight, but that’s not the only explanation for it still sitting outside the same garage it was almost a year ago. At first, the seller had it for sale for $11k, but it didn’t sell. Then he made it a reserve auction with the Buy It Now at $11k and it got up to $4,600 but didn’t crack the reserve. He tried again, and it only reached $4,500. Third times a charm with the same auction, right? Nope, then he only got to $4,300. It’s almost as if the eBay bidders were taunting him. Well, he’s trying a different tack now: Start the bidding at $6,500 and lower the Buy It Now to $8,500. I feel a little bad for the guy; as stated in my original post, this truck has clearly taken a ton of time, money, and work. Unfortunately, the market for custom extended, ground-rubbing diesel Rabbit Pickups seems to be very small and capped around $5k. I wish him the best, but wouldn’t bet on it selling yet.

I’d love to be the buyer for this New Jersey outfit which is clearly wandering around Europe, finding great 25+ year-old Volkswagens that were previously forbidden fruit, and bringing them to the US to turn a profit. Thus far, it’s seemed like low-mileage all-originals were the examples of choice, but this DoKa takes it to the next level. The cowcatcher front spoiler could challenge Alpina or Zender, and full-body ground effects and black-center aftermarket wheels help it strike a completely different pose. Sure, it’s a diesel, just like many of the showcar VWs in this country are “2.slows,” but that doesn’t make it undesirable. The interior is painted in the same bright blue hue, and updated front seats and steering wheel follow the few-parts-big-effects style of the exterior.

One of the reasons I enjoy writing about cars, especiallyÂ used ones, is that they remind me of a certain era. They often take me to a place in my head where I can imagine that vehicle in a particular setting and what kind of world surrounded it. A 1996 Audi A6 Avant makes me think of a Bavarian family on their way to a mountain getaway, an E30 M3 of a group of young Brits headed to the track for the weekend, an E39 M5 of a well heeled man racing across town to an important meeting.Â My love of cars has always been tied to the stories they have to tellÂ or ones that they make me imagine when I come across them. I think that’s probably why I was drawn to the batshit crazy vehicle you see before you. This MercedesÂ is completely ridiculous on first glance, a rolling testament as to why money can’t buy you class.

But then a funny thing happens after you stare at it for awhile. You stop laughing and start wondering why the hell anyone would drop over a $100k building such a garish ride. Suddenly it’s not so funny anymore and you want to get to the bottom of this mystery. Was the person who paid for this mentally fit when they signed the papers to have Marque Motor Coach Builders cut the top off a W126 500 SEC? Did they loose a bet with a friend who had them paint it canary yellow? Did they grow up in culture where brown and yellow are the colors that represent the height of luxury? So many questions we’ll sadly never know the answer to but alas, such is the nature of many used vehicles. What I think we can assume happened here is someone had some extra money burning a hole in their pocket around the end of the year and in an altered state of consciousness decided to blow said money on a custom convertible I’m going to henceforth refer to as “Big Bird”.

There’s an absolutely classic scene in the Adam Sandler movie The Wedding Singer in which the Miami Vice obsessed character Glenn Guglia pulls up in his DeLorean DMC12 with the theme song from the popular show blasting. The character was the perfect caricature of 1980s excess, and the show was the pulse of the nation at that time. The brightly colored polos with white suits, dark aviator sunglasses and devil-may-care attitude of the protagonists are as classically ’80s as the bad plot developments and cliche catchphrases. And then there were the cars; the twin replica Ferraris are both notorious and inseparable from the show; the white Testarossa was the car to have – impossibly cool and improbably ostentatious at the same time. The period spawned an entire industry of cars; perhaps an unfitting tribute, but today they’re always a bit of a treat to see. It’s not so much that I want them; they’re just like perfect time pieces that throw you back to another time. And as with #ThrowbackThursday posts that seem to riddle the web, this 1984 Mercedes-Benz 500SL immediately reminded me of legwarmers, INXS and Vuarnet shirts:

In 1986 the big two door coupe from Mercedes, though flashier than its four door brethren, rarely would be seen in bright colors. Unlike some of the unique shades coming on the Benz cars today from the factory, particularly some of the special order Designo branded cars, the W126 cars rarely saw ultra bright eye catching colors. It is because most SECs you see are black, grey, dark blue, white and rarer red, that this canary yellow SEC really stands out. Obviously this isn’t a factory paint job, photos suggest this car was white, but that doesn’t diminish what a coat of bright paint does to the normally iconic, but subdued lines of the great SEC.

The color on this car was part of a makeover that also includes an extensive audio system. The system features Eclipse and Soundstream parts. It always amazes me at how, like cars themselves electronic equipment can provide a look that evokes a time period and the equipment in this car is no exception. The seller states the system was installed in the early 1990s, I would’ve pegged it at right about 1995. Flipping through some of my car audio magazines from that time and pricing some of the equipment there is no question the creator took the best that Eclipse and to offer and through it at the car. There is easily multiple thousands of dollars of parts alone from when they were new. It is too bad that the seller doesn’t show a build sheet with all the model numbers of the included parts, because certainly the speakers, which are hidden, are also upgraded. The seller says that all the equipment works as it should. The seller alludes to this being a display car, but doesn’t state whether it was for a manufacturer, car audio shop or what. If it was a display/demo car one would hope the install quality was high.

VW vans are not usually known for their speed, with a few amazing skunkworks exceptions. There’s a reason my continent-traveling friend’s blog is titled 63mph – that’s about the best his Weekender can do on the highway. While those in search of more power usually go OEM+ or Subaru routes, this owner clearly does things his own way. He bought a 2.0l Ford Zetec crate engine pushing 130hp, as well as fabricating some fun bits himself like the bumpers and some funky wood interior panels. I happen to like the Mad Max-styling, especially the steel wheels. The Zetec is a completely new direction; can you handle a little American in your German?

Isn’t that what the Barret-Jackson folks would call it, a resto-mod? A very well done restoration with a custom touch to make this one a one of a kind, while not straying far from the original BMW 2002 formula.

The beautiful paint choice with ‘shadow line’ trim treatment, spotless interior, period correct looking HRE wheels, and nicely warmed over Korman built motor make this car a standout. But with a $25k price tag, it stands amongst the most expensive company in used BMW 2002’s like this Turbo on BringATrailer. Like most cars that I post like this, I often wonder how the owner can part with it considering the effort and money invested.

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